Strainer assembly for kettles



May 21, 1957 F. H. GROEN, JR 2,792,941

STRAINEIR ASSEMBLY FOR KETTLES Filed F6112, 1955 United States Patent (3 2,792,941 STRAINER ASSEMBLY non KETTLES Fred H. Groen, Jr., Chicago, 111., assignor to Groen Mfg. (30., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application February 2, 1955, Serial No. 485,736

5 Claims. (Cl. 210 -238) This invention relates to strainer assemblies, and it has particular reference to devices for removably securing strainers at the outlets of large kettles, caldrons and the like such as are used in industrial and commercial kitchens.

It is known that various arrangements have heretofore been provided for removably mounting strainers at the outlet orifices of kettles, caldrons and other cooking vessels in order that they may readily be dismounted to facilitate. removal of trapped materials and for general cleansing purposes, but all such prior devices havedisadvantages which make them unacceptable from a practical standpoint.

Experience has demonstrated that, for sanitary reasons, thestrainers of culinary vessels must be of such form and mode of assembly that they may readily be removed from the vessels and fully cleansed and sterilized before reuse and, moreover, they should be so connected with the vessels when in use that they will not become displaced from the outlet orifices with which they are associated.

Furthermore, in the interest of sanitation and ease of cleansing, there should be no projections, sockets or the like upon the inner, food-contacting, walls of the vessels or their outlet conduits for securing or positioning the strainers in relation to the outlet orifices.

Objects of the present invention are to meet all of these practical and sanitary requirements, and this is accomplished by providing a strainer assembly in which the positioning and securing elements are in a unitary assembly with the strainer plate proper and are hence removable from the vessel with such strainer plate. Moreover, the formation and arrangement of the parts of the strainer assembly, and their functioning in association with the outlet orifice and conduit of the vessel, are such that no fixed positioning elements need be provided upon the walls of the vessel or its outlet conduit while at the same time providing, nevertheless, for rigid proper location of the strainer plate at the outlet orifice.

To this end, the invention comprises, in its broad aspect, a strainer assembly having a more or less conventional strainer plate and novel mechanism for operatively positioning and securing such plate in relation to the outlet orifice and conduit, such mechanism including an elongated tongue for insertion through the outlet orifice and into the outlet conduit, an arm provided with elbow members associated with the tongue member for extension therewith into the outlet conduit, and a cam for moving the tongue member and arm to lock the same against removal from the outlet conduit or alternatively to permit disengagement therefrom, all as will be explained hereinafter more fully and finally claimed.

These and other objects and the advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specification when taken with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. l is a vertical axial sectional elevation of a caldron or kettle provided with a strainer assembly embodying the invention;

2,792,941 Patented May 21, 1957 ing member 2 in and between the legs of which is pivotally mounted upon trunnions or a pivot pin 3 a longitudinally rigid, flat tongue member 4 the edges of which are formed as similar cam surfaces 5.

Associated with the. tongue member 4, and preferably underlying it, as shown, is a pair of similar resilient arms 6 joined at one end to provide a swivel connection 7 with the crank 8 of an operating shaft 9 provided with a loop handle 10 and journalled for rotative and axially shiftable movement in a bearing sleeve 11 secured to the lower face and preferably centrally of the strainer plate 1. The Opposite ends of the arms 6 are bent to provide hooks 12 embracing the cam-faced edges 5 of the tongue member 4 and the outer portions of their bends form elbows 13 which may be laterally projected and retracted in accordance with the movement of the hooks 12 along the cam surfaces 5 of the tongue member 4.

When the crank arm 8 extends in the direction of the hinged support 2. of the tongue 4, the hooks 12 of the arms 6 are at the narrow outer portion of the tongue 4 and the elbows 13 are retracted, as shown in dotted line in Fig. 2. On turning shaft 9 to move crank 8 away from the hinged support 2, the hooks slide to the Wider retracted position adjacent the tip of the tongue 4, and.

the strainer plate 1 is then placed in the bottom 14 of the kettle to overlie the outlet orifice 15, and with the tongue member 4 and associated arms 6 extending through such orifice and into the outlet conduit 16. When thus arranged, and while the strainer plate 1 is held in contact with the kettle bottom 14, the loop handle 10 is rotated to cause the hooked ends 12 of the arms 6 to ride upon the wider portions of the cam surfaces 5 of the tongue member 4, thereby to force the elbows 13 into frictional securing engagement with the inner wall of the horizontal outlet conduit 16, thus clamping the strainer plate 1 in desired adjusted relation to the outlet orifice 15.

It should be noted, here, that as the elbows 13 are moved apart and into engagement with the inner wall of the outlet conduit 16, they will naturally find their way to a seating at diametrically opposite points on the inner wall of the conduit. Such an automatic accommodation of the elbows 13 to the interior of the outlet conduit will necessitate a comparable angular adjustment of the tongue member 4 and arms 6 to the already positioned and held strainer plate 1, and provision to accommodate this adjustment is made by the pivoting of the tongue member 4 on the pin 3 and by the swivel connection 7 of the arms 6 with the crank 8. The provision for axial shifting of the shaft 9 in its bearing sleeve 11 also serves to accommodate any necessary angular adjustment of the arms 6.

The handle 10 may be a simple ring in place of the illustrated rectangular loop, and it is preferably pivotally mounted in the shaft 9 so loosely that, when. the strainer assembly is secured in place, the handle falls fiat against the upper surface of the strainer plate 1, thus avoiding any undue obstruction in the kettle.

Obviously, when it is desired to remove the strainer assembly from the kettle it is necessary merely to release the grip of the elbows 13 upon the wall ofthe outlet conduit 16 by rotating the crank 8 to move the hook ends 12 of the arms to lower portionsof the cam faces of the tongue member 4, whereafter the strainer assembly may be removed as a unit.

When the strainer assembly has been removed from the kettle, it will be apparent that the bottom 14-of the kettle presents a smooth, unobstructed surfacewhich may easily be cleansed and which carries no projections or depressions (other than the customary outlet orifice) which might provide lodgment for soil. Also, where a plug cock 17, such as that shown, or agate or other valve which provides a through passage, isused, or where the outlet conduit. is otherwise made unobstructed, aswab may bepassed through this conduit for cleansing purposes.

It will be appreciated, also, that the strainer assembly, when: removed fromthe kettle, may be boiled or otherwise properly sterilized and cleansed as a unit.

The illustrated embodiment is for use with the new style kettles which are of relatively small height since they are provided with a horizontal outlet pipe, but it is to be understood that. the tongue and resilient arms may be so mounted on the strainer plate as to secure the same in a kettle provided witha vertical outlet at the bottom thereof.

These and other changes and modifications are considered to bewithin the principle of the invention and the scope of the following claims;

I claim:

1. Means for removablyi assembling astrainer element with the outlet conduitof a kettle'or. the like, including, in combination with astrainer plate for disposition within the kettle over the aperture'of said conduit, a tongue member connected with said plateandadapted for in sertion into saidconduit, said tongue member comprising a flat longitudinally rigid strip having its opposite edges provided with cam surfaces, a pair of similar resilient arm members longitudinally associated with said tongue member and having elbow means embracing its edges in respective cooperative association withtits cam surfaces and ofistanding from said edges for optional frictional clamping engagement with the inner wall of said conduit, said tongue member andarm members beingrelatively longitudinally movable to provide for relative functioning of said cam surfaces, and means for producing such relative movement.

2. Strainer assembling means as claimed in claim 1, in which said tongue member is attached to said strainer plate by a pivot having its axis disposed flatwise of said tongue member.

3. Means for removably assembling a strainer element with the outlet conduit of a kettle or the like, including, in combination with a strainer plate for disposition within the kettle over the aperture of said conduit, a tongue member pivotally connected with said plate and adapted for insertion into said conduit, arm means associated with said tongue member and. provided with ofistanding elbow means serving for engagement with the inner wall of said conduit, said tongue member and arm means being relatively movable, said tongue member being provided with cam means for slidable association with said arm means, means for producing a relative movement between said arm means and tongue member, said movement producing means including a crank member and means manually operable from Within the kettle for imparting rotative movement to said crank member, whereby upon relative movement of said tongue member and arm means said elbow means may be moved radially of said conduit for engagement with and disengagement from its inner wall.

4. Strainer assembling means as defined in claim 3 wherein said arms are pivotally connected to said crank member, said pivotal connection serving to accommodate said arm means to movement of said tongue member uponits pivot onsaid strainer plate.

5. Strainer assembling means as defined in claim, 4 wherein said crank member is mounted in said strainer plate for rotative and axial shifting movement with respect thereto whereby the operative association of said arm means with said tongue member may be accommodated to movement of said tongue member upon its pivot.

Thiele Mar. 29, 1904 M'cCue Dec. 20, 1927 

